a bleeding purple utah jazz blog

Game 62 vs. DEN: The Koof is Back! (on the bench)

The Koof didn’t get into the game, but the Jazz were “Boom Bitch’d” by the refs.

I wouldn’t say the Jazz played a great game, but one thing they were not was stagnant. As has been the case in recent weeks, the effort was there but results were not. It came down to the last play: 1.2 seconds left, Jazz down 2, Kenyon Martin inbounding. He intentionally or unintentionally bobbled the ball, which AK stole. Without moving from his position outside the baseline, K-Mart stuck his hand in and tried to grab the ball as AK made his move to the basket (pictured above). AK grabbed the ball again and tried to put it up, but the clock had expired.

After the game, the Nuggets were laughing it up in the locker room over the refs’ decision to call it a night rather than make sure they got it right:Ty Lawson: I’m glad we stole this one…K said he hit the ball.Kenyon Martin: [I feel] like a little four-year old who’s got a piece of candy he’s not supposed to have. We got away with it.
[It slips out of your hand. You touch it.] Yeah.
[Kirilenko grabs it. You touch it. Twice.] Yeah.
[They probably should have given Utah the ball, but it still went your way.] Yeah, they make some calls, they miss some. (KFAN)

This was a reviewable play. The officials chose not to review it, and thus decided the outcome. (That’s all I’m going to say on the officiating. Not going to discuss how the Nuggets took 25 FTAs in the 4th quarter and the Jazz took 12 in the entire game.)

Update:
“If Martin touched the ball, the play should have been ruled dead right there with Utah inbounding,” Tim Frank, the NBA’s senior vice president of basketball communications, told the Deseret News on Friday. “On video replay, it appears he did touch the ball. Oh well. Too bad for the Jazz.” (desnews)

OK, so the part in Italics was me, but that was the gist of it.

Random Stuff, etc.** What’s happened to SWARM (Watson/Price/CJ/Elson/Fes)? They were rocking the house to start the season and now (CJ tonight excepted) every single one of them is slumping big time. Is it just the law of averages catching up?** TNT’s 87 million camera angles suck balls.** It was negated by the loss, but Big Al had a great game tonight. He is improving–I saw him box out once.** Favors was out with a cold and Ronnie P with a sprained toe, but Jeremy Evans still couldn’t get into the game.** Funny Fes to close: “When a student asked what was his favorite game when he was little, Fesenko answered, ‘Hide and seek, but for me it was always a challenge.'” (Standard Examiner via SLC Dunk)

Question: What is the sartorial equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot if you are the head coach of the Utah Jazz?Answer: Wearing a purple tie to the game.